Vent device for heating systems



Oct. 31, 1939.

G M ERNST VENT DEVICE FOR HEATING SYSTEMS Filed Juli: 2. 1937 FIG- 2 FIG-l lxvvavrae.

l I ATTORNEY FIG. 4-

,15 heating of the radiators. like, is placed; and to retain said reservoir in 15 VENT DEVICE FOR HEATING SYSTEMS George M. Ernst, Baldwin, N. Y.

Application July 2, 1937, Serial No. 151,581

2 Claims. (01. 137-422) This invention relates to an improved vent de- Referring to Fig. 2, the adapter 29 consists of vice for heating systems. a metal casing 9 having a metal tube 20 passing It is known that when the heating fluid, such through the wall of casing 9. Tube 20 terminates as steam, Water vapor, or the like, is turned ofi, outside the casing in a coupling 22. Within the the residual fluid condenses, creating a partial casing, tube 29 is threaded into a vertical ball vacuum in the heating sy tem, and if the vent check valve body l4, which is in turn connected port of the radiator valve is then open air enters to an inverted U shaped metal tube 12, coupled the radiator and the heating system until the by means of a suitable air tight coupling H, to

pressure within the system is brought to atmosa tube iii made of glass or other material adapted 10 pheric pressure. This tends to fill the heating to resist the action of mercury. The lower end or" 10 system with air which must be expelled when the metal casing 9 is suitably closed by means of by the generation of steam, pressure in the sysa removable base cap 6. Within the casing 9, a tern is again raised. This retards the speed of reservoir l8 made or lined with any mercury recirculation of the heating fluid, and delays the sistant material such as glass, porcelain or the One object of this invention is to provide an fixed position relative to casing 9, a suitable packimproved device for sealing a valve vented steam ing material 8 may be inserted between the outer or vapor pressure heating system. wall of reservoir i8 and the inner wall or casing Another object is to provide a common seal for 9. Reservoir i8 is partially filled with a quantity a valve. vented steam or vapor pressure heating of mercury l, and the lower end of the tube it 20 system. is immersed in the mercury. A removable metal Another object it to provide a vent valve which cap l3 encloses the upper end of casing 9. This allows air to be expelled from the system when cap is provided with a series of perforations or the pressure is raised, but is sealed to prevent the vent ports iii to permit the free pasage of air into entrance of air into the system via the vent valve and out of adapter 29. 25 when said system is allowed to cool. The vertical ball check valve It which is best Another object is to provide an adapter for use understood by reference to the sectional view in conjunction with the vent port of a convenshown in Fig. 3, includes a valve seat I9 having tional radiator valve, so as to allow air to be exa ball check i! normally seated on valve seat i9 pelled from the valve, but to prevent the entrance under the influence of gravity. Metal tube '29 80 of air into the system via the vent port of the is screw-threaded into the threaded collar 23 of valve when said system is allowed to cool. the casing of valve i4, and the inverted U shaped Other objects will appear from the detailed (1 metal tube I2 is screw-threaded into the threaded scription which follows. collar 24 of the casing of valve M. as In the drawing comprising but a single sheet of Th prin l of Operation is as l w 85 five figures numbered Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. When steam is generate in e h in sy Fig. 1 is an elevation of a radiator and radi tor term, the pressure in radiator 25 increases, lifting valve with my adapter attached; ball check I! off valve seat It against the in- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the adapter fhlence of gravity, and expelling air rou h t e mechanism; inverted U shaped metal tube E2, the tube l0, and 40 Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a detail; the body of the mercury I, through the interior Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modifica- 0f the adapter 29 and the Vent ports l5 in the tion showing a vent valve unit embodying my inmetal p atmosphere When a Of the vention; and air has been expelled from the radiator 25 and Fig. 5 is a schematic drawing of a system the valve mechanism 5, the valve mechanism 46 bodying my invention. closes in the usual and well-known manner to Like reference characters designate corre- Gilt Off the eSeaDe of Steamsponding parts throughout the several figures of When the heating System is allowed to 0 the drawing. the reduced pressure in the system allows the 50 Referring to Fig. 1 the radiator 25 is furnished ball check valve H to seat upon valve seat it and 50 with the customary valve mechanism 5, from seal metal tube 20, thus preventing thereturn which the valve cap has been removed and repassage of air into the valve mechanism 5 and placed by my adapter device 29, which is attached the radiator 25. As the. pressure in the system to the valve stem in any suitable manner, as by is reduced a partial vacuum is created below 56 means of a coupling 22 '(Fig. 2). ball check ll still further tending to retain the ball check in seated position upon valve seat l9, while at the same time the partial vacuum thus created in the system causes a column of mercury to pass upwards in the tube ID to seal the tube against entrance of air therein. The tube In may be of relatively small bore, a tubing giving good results. Tube l should be long enough to prevent the column of mercury from reaching ball check valve I1, and from being lost in the heating system. I

The valve mechanism M is not essential to the operation of the system, but merely serves as an auxiliary to the seal formed by the column of mercury in the tube i0. By the use of the vertical ball check valve [4 however, it is possible to reduce the length of glass tube Ill.

The device 29 is an adapter for use with radiator vent valves now in common use. In new system installations it may be found desirable to combine the valve mechanism 5 and my adapter 29 into a single vent valve unit structure, such as is disclosed generally in Fig. 4, wherein valve mechanism I5 replaces valve mechanism 5. The casing 9' is large enough to accommodate valve mechanism !5, coupling 22, tubings l2 and I0, and receptacle l8 containing mercury 1. The nipple 2| of valve mechanism I 5 may be attached to the radiator 25 in the usual way.

Instead of furnishing each radiator 25 with an individual valve 5 and adapter 29 as shown in Fig. l, or an individual vent valve unit structure as shown in Fig. 4, all of the radiator valves or valve mechanisms 55 may be connected to a common return pipe 3B-3ii (Fig. 5) having its lower end located below the lowest radiator vent valve in the heating system. An adapter 29 of the general character shown in Fig. 2, but of somewhat larger capacity, may then be connected to the lower end of said common return pipe, thus furnishing one common mercury seal for the entire heating system. This mechanism may omit the vertical ball check valve l4 entirely, wherever the system is adapted to permit the use of a tube long enough to house a column of mercury 2'7 inches or more in height.

Many variations of my system will occur to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. An adapter for a heating system radiator vent valve comprising, a receptacle for and resistant to the action of mercury, a quantity of mercury in said receptacle, a tube made of material resistant to the action of mercury having its lower end submerged in the mercury contained in said receptacle, the mouth of said tube opening relatively close to the lower end of said receptacle to cause the mercury to seal the mouth 5 of said tube when said receptacle is in upright position, said tube being adapted to vent gases through the mercury to atmosphere when the pressure in the tube is raised above atmosphere and to accommodate a column of mercury 1 mounting therein when the pressure in the tube falls below atmosphere, said tube being long enough to house a column of mercury of a height corresponding to the greatest sub-atmospheric pressure occurring in said tube under its normal 1 operating conditions, a portable tubular apertured metallic casing enclosing said receptacle and said tube and constituting a protective housing therefor, packing material positioned between the outer wall of the receptacle and the inner wall of the casing, and means operable to secure said tube in said housing and to connect the upper end of said tube to the uncapped port of a radiator vent valve.

2. An adapter for a radiator vent valve com- 2 prising, a receptacle for containing a quantity of mercury to a given level, a tube having an end portion positioned within said receptacle with the mouth at the lower end of the said end system opening relatively close to the bottom of said receptacle below the normal mercury level thereof to seal the mouth of the tube with mercury, said tube being operable to vent gases through the mercury to atmosphere when the pressure in the tube is raised above atmosphere and to accommodate a column of mercury when the pressure in the tube falls below atmosphere, said tube being long enough to house a column of mercury at a height corresponding to the greatest sub-atmospheric pressure occurring in said tube under normal conditions of operation, a portable apertured metallic casing forming a housing for said receptacle and for a portion of said tube, packing material positioned between the outer wall of the receptacle and the inner wall of the casing, the upper end of said tube extending through the wall of said casing and projecting therebeyond, and a threaded coupling mounted upon the extreme upper end of said tube operable to secure said tube to the uncapped port of a radiator vent valve.

GEORGE M. ERNST. 

